Athens on the EU Summit: A “fortress Europe” was prevented

29/06/201811:19

The Greek side describes the EU Summit on the migrant crisis as a clash between conflicting powers. According to Athens, Greece together with Spain, France, Germany, Sweden, Portugal and Malta had to oppose to Austria and the Visegrad countries that appear in favor of a “fortress Europe”. Despite its initial objections, Italy finally embraced the idea of a collective handling of the issue.

According to government sources, a decision explicitly providing for the establishment of closed centers in Africa was prevented, as regards the issue of primary migration flows to the central Mediterranean. The prospect of reviewing the Dublin Regulation after the European Parliament elections of 2019 was also deterred. The same sources stress that Greece, acting on the basis of principles and values, and being one of the countries that have taken on their responsibilities, helped significantly in preventing the European venture from going towards a deeply conservative direction.